This invention relates to hand-held cutting tools, and more particularly to an improved safety cap for a hand-held cutting knife.
Among the many types of hand-held cutting tools commercially available for use by hobbyists and craftsmen such as artists, photographers, draftsmen, etc., is a knife of the type that employs a small blade detachably secured at one end of a cylindrical handle, usually formed of metal and typically about five inches long and five-sixteenths inch in diameter. The knife blade, held in place in a slot in a tapered chuck by tightening a knurled sleeve, is available in a variety of shapes, most of which have an effective width slightly greater than the diameter of the handle; the outer diameter of the knurled sleeve is also slightly larger than the diameter of the handle. The blade being very sharp, it is desirable to protect it when the knife is not in use for the safety of person and property and to also protect the blade itself from damage.
Among the known protective caps for this type of knife is a commercially available protective shield consisting of a hollow transparent plastic cylinder secured to a metal chuck dimensioned to be slidably received on the knife handle and to be secured thereon at an open position when the knife is in use and at a closed position for safety when the knife is not in use. Although this type of shield provides ample protection, it has the disadvantage of increasing the size of the knife body and makes it clumsy to use. Moreover, the shield is relatively difficult and expensive to manufacture. Many users of this type of knife simply insert the blade into a cork for protection, but this safety measure has the disadvantage that the cork deteriorates with repeated use and must be frequently replaced, and it often happens that the cork is misplaced or mislaid while the knife is in use with the consequence that the blade is frequently left unprotected.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide an improved safety cap for a cutting knife which overcomes the disadvantages of presently available protective and safety devices.